Failte Ireland have revealed Ireland's top ten free and paid attractions of 2013. The list is compiled annually and this year saw the National Gallery come in at number one, followed closely by the National Botanic Gardens and Farmleigh in Dublin.
The Newbridge Silverware Visitor Centre was a new addition to the list, attracting 350,000 visitors to it's Museum of Style Icons, where garments belonging to Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Princess Diana and The Beatles can be seen. The national tourism board also compiled a list of the top paid for attractions in 2013. The Guinness Storehouse topped the bill again with 1,157,000 visitors in 2013. Coming second was Dublin Zoo with just over a million visitors, followed by the Cliffs of Moher which saw an increase of 10% from the 2012 list. The full list is below.
Top 10 Free Attractions 2013
1) National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin: 641,572
2) National Botanic Gardens, Dublin: 550,000
3) Farmleigh, Dublin: 435,476
4) National Museum, Archaeology, Dublin: 404,230
5) Newbridge Silverware, Kildare: 350,000
6) Science Gallery, Dublin: 339,264
7) National Museum, Natural History, Dublin: 284,323
8) National Library of Ireland, Dublin: 260,323
9) National Museum, Collins Barracks, Dublin: 251,226
10) Chester Beatty Library: 250,659
Top 10 Fee-Charging Attractions 2013
1) Guinness Storehouse, Dublin: 1,157,090
2) Dublin Zoo: 1,026,611
3) Cliffs of Moher Visitor Experience, Co. Clare: 960,134
4) National Aquatic Centre, Dublin: 858,031
5) Book of Kells, Dublin: 588, 723
6) Tayto Park, Co. Meath: 435,000
7) St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin: 410.000
8) Fota Wildlife Park, Cork: 365,396
9) Blarney Castle, Cork: 365,000
10) Kilmainham Gaol, Dublin: 326,207
Speaking about the polls, Shaun Quinn CEO Failte Ireland said, 'Today's research provides another positive piece of news for tourism as our visitor attractions are quite clearly experiencing the same growth that we are seeing right across the tourism sector. Attractions such as these are an integral part of what Ireland has to offer visitors. Recognising the importance of having a good variety of things to do and see, Failte Ireland has directed significant investment into the tourism sector over the last five years – with a total of €120m invested in almost 60 significant capital projects throughout the country. This year alone, we are investing €8m in capital infrastructure along the Wild Atlantic Way'.
For more information and to visit all these check out the Discover Ireland website and don't forget to download the this is living Facebook app for great ideas on what to do this summer.
